


Through Thick and Thin

by NalaNalani



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Eventual Fluff, Eventual Romance, F/M, Slow Burn, Violence, more tags to be added later
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-07
Updated: 2016-12-19
Packaged: 2018-09-07 00:51:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,028
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8776585
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NalaNalani/pseuds/NalaNalani
Summary: It's been a long time since the fall of Overwatch, and even longer since Angela has seen Jesse. When Overwatch is recalled, she returns, but will he?





	1. A Promising Reunion

**Author's Note:**

> I'm very excited to be posting my very first, multi-chapter work here. This story is inspired by Hang the Fool, but I promise the only thing that's the same is where they are!

A cool mist swept over the ground, keeping the cleanly maintained grass damp. It gave the memorial a stereotypical graveyard look, like it was right out of a horror movie. Except, it was day now, and there were no tall, looming gravestones protruding from the ground, only flat slabs of stone. Really, it was only the docile mist. The scent of fresh rain was in the air; a gentle but chilling breeze waltzed through the foliage, carrying the chirping of birds with it. Spring was nearly here.

It almost seemed too cheerful.

It had been three years since she was last here. Three years since she had buried them. Three years since she had said goodbye. Three years since she had been a part of Overwatch. Three years since she had left and gone back to working in hospitals and wherever else she was needed. She hadn't expected to find him there; right in front of Jesse’s grave. 

The one who had disappeared just hours after the fall of the Swiss base. The one who had joined Overwatch just days after she had. The one who had pushed Reyes to the absolute brink of true madness. Angela couldn't help the very faint smile that quirked the corners of her lips up ever so slightly at the memory of patching up a split lip, broken nose, and many other bruises with him just joking and smiling the whole time. It had been so much better then. 

Now here the desperado was again, entering her life once more, though, knowing Jesse, she had a feeling that the encounter with him would be short. She knew of the bounty that had been placed on him; that it was a risky move for him to stay anywhere for more than a few days. Angela wanted him to stay though. The sight of a familiar face was comforting; it took away from the accumulating stress the had begun to build itself up on her shoulders. 

From where she stood, she could smell the smoke of his cigarillo, see the glint of his belt buckle. As the breeze became a gale for a short moment, his somewhat frazzled serape became more a cape and he had to adjust it to keep the cloth from unwrapping itself from his frame. Her miniscule smile widened marginally as her cornflower gaze traveled up to his hat, which looked just as worn and weathered as he did. It was a marvel he had held onto it for this long.

Considering his current situation, Angela thought he might have dressed in something more inconspicuous, even if he was just visiting for a short time.

Both of them seemed to stare each other down, though not in a distrustful or scrutinizing way. The two were simply taking in the effects that time’s unpredictable flow had had on the other. Their own silent greeting. The ‘hello’s’ and ‘how have you been doing’s’ rippling between them as if they were actually holding a conversation.

For quite some time, neither of them said anything, their attention shifting from each other to the markers of the dead and back again. It was peaceful and unnerving at the same time. A single question formed in her mind, but he answered before she even had the chance to part her lips. He always seemed be good at hearing unspoken words. "Been a while. Just came to pay respects to the bastards again. Still kick myself for not doin' it the first time." 

It was pleasant to hear his modulated voice again.

Another moment of silence, and then finally, Angela spoke. Calmly suggested that perhaps it was time to straighten things out; that it was time to find a way to settle down. Maybe even buy a home. The good doctor would have loved to see him safe, and out of harm’s way, but she knew that wouldn’t work for him. The gentleman gunslinger was far too antsy to stay somewhere for long.

Jesse snorted, but not in a rude way. She wasn't surprised. "Angie, you should know better than anyone that I ain't one for sittin' still.” She wished she didn’t know that; that it wasn’t true. “'Sides, you can buy a house, but you can't buy a home. My home's gone," he made a vague gesture to the memorial of the base and flicked the ash off the end of his smoke, "and I ain't too keen on findin' another just to have the same thing happen again."

 

An funereal yet austere nod came in response, and she mustered a far more visible, sympathetic smile to grace her pale features. It wasn't as genuine as she would have liked. She had tried; and she wanted to again, and again, until he finally agreed. Yet she disavowed pushing the matter further. No matter how many times she asked, or how many times she pleaded, he wouldn’t bend to what she asked. He never had.

Jesse had always been a stubborn man, much to her chagrin; and apparently he still was. Whether it came to following her medical orders, or taking on missions he thought he could alone, he never listened. Maybe that had kept him alive this long.

There was so much to be said, questions to be asked, yet... no more words were exchanged. With an enervating farewell, he left just a few minutes later, she, nearly an hour after. That encounter, had been two years ago, and Angela still remembered talking to him as if she had just left. 

However, while that memory was still there, it had been pushed to the back of her mind. Despite the Petras Act, Winston had made the decision to recall any and all former agents he could get a hold of. At first, Angela was quite confused. She wasn’t daft, she knew what was happening around the world, but she still couldn’t help but question his motives. 

The very instant she heard of the attack that had occurred, of Talon and the darkly ethereal Reaper, she was packing her things and resigning from the hospital she was stationed at in Geneva. How could she possibly refuse to go back? She hated the violence, abhorred it with a fiery passion, but never had she been able to help so many. Angela missed being able to do that. Surely it would take some time to get back to that level, but the thought alone was enough to incite her to leave.

Nearly the entire flight, she spoke with Winston and her former patient Genji who had gratefully accepted the invitation to return. However, he said his arrival would certainly be delayed as he wanted to convince the one who had saved him mentally and spiritually to join him. Of course, Winston said that he would be very welcome to enlist with them. With that, he announced he would be travelling to Nepal, and then to Gibraltar. 

When both had gone, Angela was left with her thoughts for the remainder of the flight; all seven hours of it. She spent six of them sleeping, dreaming of nothing at first, and then her grandparents, and then her parents. The medic woke with a start, trying to regain her composure immediately. That recurring dream never ended well, and, if she could help it, she refused to go through it again for the umpteenth time.

Remaining awake for the last hour, she allowed her thoughts to drift lazily from memory to memory. Angela was quite curious as to who would actually accept and return. How many old, familiar faces would she see? Of course, just the former agents alone wouldn't be anywhere near enough to return Overwatch to its former glory; but Winston was already on top of that. He was going about recruiting and had said he had got in touch with a freedom fighter of sorts in Brazil who said he would be delighted to join; it would just take a couple of weeks for him to ship himself out.

It would be nice to have some new faces, and another medic at that.

At last Angela was back in Gibraltar, a wave of nostalgia immediately careered over the blonde. Mixed feelings took their place as well. Of course it was good to be back, but so any awful memories arrived when she did.

Angela found she was one of the first to arrive, along with Lena. 

 

Being brought back to the old, and now, rather worn infirmary definitely brought back old memories. These ones however, she was far more fond of. Her and Winston working on her Valkyrie suit; needing the practically every available person to hold down Reinhardt because the big guy was terrified of needles, but needed a shot. She laughed quietly at that. 

Who knew that such a brave mountain of a man who insisted on fighting well into his later years would be scared of needles of all things? In a bit of a fit, he had practically ransacked the entire lab. In its current condition, it looked like he had again. There was definitely some tidying up to be done.

Just a few minutes into clearing out and cleaning up the infirmary, she was nearly tackled in a hug by the hyperactive British woman. In an instant, her prim, proper, professional demeanor evaporated into thin air and she hugged her back. Excited greeting were exchanged, and Lena offered to help Angela clear things out. She certainly wouldn't turn that offer down. 

It would've taken hours, maybe even the entire day, to do by herself; but with Lena, perhaps only two and half, maybe three hours had passed. It was nowhere near as pristine as she would have liked, but it was better. She could finish that part tomorrow.

The morning had different plans for her it seemed.

Speaking of the devil, Reinhardt had arrived, she could hear him all the way from the hall leading to the infirmary from the kitchen where he was. A part of her was relieved to hear that he's no less boisterous than he used to be. Another part was surprised he was still active. In her opinion, as well as Ana's, he should have put up the armor and hammer ages ago. He still refused.

As she began to head off to greet her old friend and comrade, her thoughts shifted over to Ana and her daughter. How could they not? Winston had confided in her that he had sent a call to Fareeha. Half of her wanted to think she would accept, and the other half spurned the idea that she would want anything to do with them. Last she heard, Fareeha believed it was the fault of Overwatch that her mother was dead. That was a somewhat nervous conflict that flickered in her mind that was promptly interrupted as she was swept off the ground into a comminuting hug.

She should have seen, or at least heard, Reinhardt coming with his heavy footfalls and happy exclamation upon seeing her. If she could breath, it would have been far more endearing. As soon as she was finally set back on the ground, Angela heaved in a breath and gave him a warm greeting as well. Followed by scolding him for not retiring, and then expressing her happiness that she would be working with him again regardless. 

Reinhardt had many stories of his activity over those five years. Of returning to Eichenwalde just after the fall of Overwatch; of his journeys with Brigitte; and absolutely any and everything in between. He wanted to share them immediately, but Angela politely declined and apologized. She explained that she still had much to do to fix up the infirmary for it to even barely function and serve its purpose. The Swiss woman happily agreed to hear all of them later, and that seemed to satisfy him completely. 

With a small wave, she watched him wander off to seek out his quarters before heading into the kitchen to get herself a cup of tea before she got back to work. Expecting to have to simply deal with drinking whatever type was available, Angela was extremely surprised to find a small box on the counter of her favorite brand. It was an old kind, one that really was not easy to come by anymore. Schwarztee Ceylon from Gepa. 

However, her pondering of who brought it disappeared as she saw a small tag on top that read Reinhardt. Of course he would grab this for her. The gentle giant always seemed to be keeping an eye out for whatever could be a suitable gift; and suitable it was. Smile widening, she pulled a single package out, placing the box itself in a cabinet which needed to be cleaned as well. Angela sighed and shook her head faintly. Seemed like she was going to be taking on the role of the motherly medic once more, not that she minded. Angela almost felt like she needed to make a list now, mentally anyways.

First, finish what she could in the infirmary. Second, clean out the cabinets. Third, figure out what else needed to be done. It was a good thing that she didn't mind tidying things up. After all, if cleaning would be the most tedious thing she did for a while, Angela certainly wouldn't complain.

It was good to be back.


	2. Persisting Memories

Getting the infirmary back into proper condition took much longer than she would have liked. That project consumed the better half of an entire week, but it finally was almost looking like it had years ago. The only difference was the sparse amount of equipment remaining, and the desk that was in the corner was void of mountains of paperwork. "I can certainly wait to see that again." The medic mused with a faint smile, allowing herself a well deserved break to get some fresh air.

Angela had gotten into a habit of taking rather short breaks, or even keeping them nonexistent all together as she worked. It was something that had worried her colleagues in Geneva, but she had always brushed them off. The doctor knew her own limits better than they could ever hope to. So what if she fell asleep at her desk from time to time?

Now however, it seemed as though she would have quite some time to relax before any real work began. That only meant she was going to do everything in her power to keep herself occupied for however long it took. Angela was truly a workaholic; it felt wrong to keep herself from producing results.

She supposed that, for the time being, it wouldn't be horrible to get ahead on some sleep though.

Stepping outside, Angela was immediately cascaded in wonderfully warm sunlight. The fragrance of the brine was something she enjoyed, but still had yet to get used to. It was still odd for her to be this close to the water. The doctor was used to living in a landlocked country after all. That only caused her thoughts traveled back to her home. To her parents; to her grandparents who had taken her in; to the memorial of the base; to Jesse.

He had received a call from Winston. She truly wanted him to come, to join them once again. A nagging little voice in her back of her head was quick to abnegate that thought though, pulling his words into her memory. "My home's gone, and I ain't too keen on findin' another just to have the same thing happen again." She could still hope he would, even as doubt set in.

With a sigh, the blonde shook her head slightly. There went her peaceful mindset. Now all she could do was worry; and worry she did. Of course her mind picked this particular moment to haunt her with the fact that there had been no new news of the infamous outlaw Jesse McCree. Had he been killed and no one knew? Had he been caught by Talon? Had he- She almost jumped out of her skin as a hand fell on her shoulder.

“You alright there, love? You're staring at the water like it's about to murder you.” Lena smiled, and Angela placed a hand over her heart, turning to the younger woman, giving a half-hearted glare to show she had been startled. Giggling, Lena apologized and removed her hand.

For as hyperactive as she was, Angela swore that Lena had made it a lifetime goal to sneak up on her. She had done it thousands of time before Overwatch had been disbanded and now she was doing it again. It was something that had irritated the doctor slightly in the past, but now? It just brought back even more nostalgia.

It actually took a moment or two for Angela to realize she was staring off at the water again, and that Lena's look had grown a bit concerned. “I was just thinking.” She answered simply, her attention returning to the ex-pilot. Watching Lena twirl a finger, she spoke again. She should have guessed she would be prompted for more. “About who will return with us.”

At that, the other gave a hum of agreement. “I've been wondering about that too. It'll be nice to see some familiar faces, but some new ones will be fantastic!” Chipper as always. It took a lot to bring her down, Angela recalled, but in a stubborn turn of memories, her mind went back to what had: the fall of the Swiss headquarters.

Apparently, she was destined to keep thinking about it. Angela remembered how utterly broken the smaller woman had looked when she had arrived. The communication system they had there, the one she had been connected to at the time, had been destroyed, so Lena had known nothing about what had happened until she got there.

Then there was the funeral.

A huge, grand procession had been arranged for their Strike Commander and Blackwatch Leader. The blonde didn't know Lena had owned a black dress until that day. It really wasn't something that suited her, and Angela had hoped that she would never have to wear it again.

As if she were still there, at the wreckage, Angela could smell the smoke coming from things that were not meant to burn, the gunpowder from the many rounds fired, the dust from the debris. The flames hurt her eyes, and her lungs burned as she desperately searched through the rubble. Finding Gabriel just barely clinging to life, she tried to revive him, but then...

The doctor blamed herself for everything then, and she still did.

She had known the two of them better than anyone in the base. She knew of the tension between them. She knew she should have intervened, but she didn't.  
She saw a fight coming, but nothing like what had happened. Angela should have stepped in and helped, but at the time she had believed it would be healthy for the two of them to work things out on their own. The doctor couldn't have been more wrong, and it all still haunted her. It was something that would never leave her mind.

“I'm excited to see our new medic; he seems like he's going to be a valuable asset.” She spoke, hiding her thoughts as she always did. Her troubles did not need to become anyone else's, especially when they were such a heavy burden. Everyone surely remembered the horrible day; she was not going to be the one who constantly brought it up.

Aside from that, Angela knew that she had been seen as a motherly figure to many of the agents, and now that they were returning, she wanted to keep it up. After all, what would they think if their angel had fallen? It would cause far more concern and panic than was necessary. That was how she had justified it, and how she would continue to do so.

“You mean Lúcio? I've heard he's really something!” Lena chimed in, obviously quite excited by it. However, the excitement faded as both of them ran out of things to talk about. That didn't last long because soon, in a flurry of movement, it had returned as Lena bounced from foot to foot, grinning ear to ear.

“Love, did you hear who's coming in today?” Well, that was a very ambiguous question. Tilting her head, the blonde gave her a curious look. She actually hadn't been informed that they would be having a new arrival today. “I didn't.” She watched as Lena began to rock back and forth on her heels. Of course she wanted Angela to guess.

Pursing her lips, the medic considered the possible candidates carefully for a moment before offering a response. “Is it Genji?” She knew he was supposed to be arriving a few days after her, but perhaps he would actually be returning sooner? “Nope!” Or not. “And I know them, yes?” Lena’s grin only seemed to grow. “Yep!”

Honestly, Angela didn't know. It might be Fareeha, but that was unlikely. Unless she had been close by when the call reached her, and had actually agreed to join, there was no possible way the Egyptian could have made it here in such a short amount of time. About to at least give her a hint, Lena paused as a whirring sound filled the air. “She's here!” Her exclamation was followed by her disappearance as she blinked off.

That only served to give Angela more questions than answers. She could of course go ask Winston, but it would be faster to wait and see who it was. So, she headed to the balcony where Lena was standing.  
The Brit still wore a face splitting grin, eager for whoever it was to land. Angela was still calculating possibilities when the carrier touched down. The woman who stepped out was truly not who she was expecting.  
A wonderfully familiar face exited and looked around before spotting the two of them and waving gleefully.

How long? How many years had it been since Angela had seen her? Far, far too many.

With a noise of delight, off Lena blinked again, practically tackling the perfectly plump Chinese woman with a hug. It had been so long since she had seen Mei. Not since before… Angela gave a small sigh as she turned to head down the stairs to greet the climatologist. Not since before the Swiss base fell.  
She had to stop thinking about or else it would become her world. Then everything and everyone would remind her of it and that wasn't a way she could live. Doing her best to clear her mind of those thoughts, Angela rushed over to her longtime friend, smiling all the same.

She pushed that angry, unforgiving thought into the back of her mind as Mei was finally released from Lena's death grip and Angela was allowed to hug her. “It's so wonderful to see you Mei.” The two had been good friends quite some time ago. It was good to have her back.

"It's so good to be back!" Came her response in the form of a hum. Angela was undoubtedly going to greatly enjoy working beside her again. They had done well to work on Mei's technology as well as Angela's staff so many years ago. It was exciting to think of what they would accomplish now.

Perhaps her arrival would help Angela forget the festering flashback.


	3. Short Note

I am very sorry to be putting this here as I detest placing notes in the middle of a story, but it's something that needs to be done. I wanted to inform all of my lovely readers that I'm afraid this story will be put on pause. Finals are coming up for me, and it's quite hard to concentrate on how I'm going to get thus from point A to point B. That being said, I plan on starting another, shorter fanfic between Sombra and Symmetra. I hope you all understand and I can't thank you enough for taking time out of your day to read my writing. 

Thank you all so much!

**Author's Note:**

> If you enjoyed the story and want updates on future chapters, feel free to follow me on Tumblr @doodlydipshit. Thanks for reading!


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